no Every athlete in the NFL They sign a multi-million dollar contract to play professional soccer, leaving their families to supplement their income elsewhere.
“I'll set the record straight: We have multiple revenue streams that we've built over the last seven years.” Alison Koch, Who is married to a free agent Isaac RochelleShe said on a November 2023 episode of her show, “Sunday Sports Club.” Podcast. “Also, if you've been in the NFL for seven years and you need to get a job immediately the second you get fired, something doesn't add up.”
Coach and Rochelle, from She welcomed his daughter, Scottie In December 2023, don't just rely on his NFL salary — especially when he remains unsigned. They also have her own podcast, her husband's PSA merchandise, and many other social media deals and endorsements that contribute to their family's income.
Jason KelseyMeanwhile, he played all 14 seasons of his NFL career with the Philadelphia Eagles before retiring in March 2024. He is also a broadcaster for ESPN and co-hosts the “New Heights” podcast with his brother Travis Kelce. While the podcast It was recently sold to Wondery For millions, Jason and his wife Kylie Kelsey They still keep their home lives relatively modest. (They have three daughters and, as of November 2024, are expecting baby No. 4.)
“We make sure that anything we do makes them feel supported by their family and friends and then not put them in any place of privilege,” Kylie said. He said exclusively Us Weekly in June 2024. “(We're) doing everything we can to make sure that when they grow up and turn 16, they'll be driving (a used vehicle). We can't let them have an old car at this point. You don't get your dad's (Tesla) CyberTruck as easy to use. You'll be driving a base model and, hopefully, you'll have to roll the windows down using the crank.
Keep scrolling for more on behind-the-scenes facts about the NFL and the stars' finances:
Salary talk
Although the players liked it Patrick Mahomes, Dak Prescott and Aaron Rodgers With so much money raised, not all NFL contracts are created equal. Retired athlete Chad Hansenwife, Bryce Watts Hansen, Close claims that “all NFL players are millionaires” in a series of TikTok videos in December 2024.
Indeed, Bryce He said The couple lives in a 700-square-foot apartment with the same couch they've kept since he signed his rookie contract with the New York Jets.
“He was a member of eight different NFL teams, which means eight different contracts were signed and broken,” she explained in a message. video. “When you're on a team, it's good money — regardless (if you're on) a practice squad or active roster, it's all good money.”
“But since contracts are not guaranteed… (once you are cut) you will get nothing, especially if you sign at the beginning of the offseason and then get cut during the offseason,” she added. You don't see any of that money because you didn't play over and over again, you didn't go to training.
According to Price, they also spent most of his salary on costs associated with moving between teams, as well as doctor's appointments and other necessary expenses.
“The costs really start to add up, so you have to (decide, 'We're not going to buy new furniture, we'd rather spend it on something for his body or a recovery tool,'” Price added). “He ended up helping us and him.”
Dealing with insurance
Like any employer, the NFL offers insurance to players active in the league.
“They don’t even get whole life insurance,” Koch said in July 2024. Tik Tok video. “Some guys only play one game, I get that, but Tom Brady? He's only insured for four more years.
Coach follows Rochelle's plan, which is to “start over” any time he signs with a new team.
“Last year, because my husband worked for the Las Vegas Raiders, he had insurance for the full year of employment,” she said. “Since that recruitment year is over, we get insurance for another five years. Every year my husband continues to play, he resumes for another five years.
So, even though Rochelle was dismissed from the Raiders weeks before Coach gave birth, the bill for her birth was still covered by their insurance company.
Cost of uniform
According to Price, athletes can't keep their jerseys without paying for them. Another revealed in December 2024 Tik Tok That Chad only bought helmets for two of the eight teams he played for during his career.
“I think shirts can cost up to $600 or something like that, so when (athletes) change shirts after the game, you have to pay for them,” she said. “He wishes he could have bought a helmet for a few other things, but when you're cut, the last thing you want to do is buy a helmet for a few hundred dollars.”
Providing match day tickets
While many NFL wives and their children are regulars at football games, tickets aren't always easy to come by.
“NFL tickets are not free, even if your spouse or boyfriend is on the team,” Price said on December 3, 2024. Tik Tok video. “They get a set amount and have to pass it on from another player if they don't get enough for family members – but they also pay taxes.”
According to Price, the tickets are scattered around the stadium in different sections next to other fans.
“You don't get a front-row seat,” she explained. “Also, when you see the people in the box? Even the big players? They're paying for it. They paid for those boxes, they didn't get it for free.”
Travis KelseyFor his part, Spent over $3 million To get a box at the 2024 Super Bowl for his girlfriend Taylor SwiftAnd their families and a large number of famous friends. The big game It was played at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, which also features a “field club” on the sidelines complete with tables and bottle service.
“It's a crazy amount of money to get one of those booths at the field club,” Kylie Colewho is married to Ryders Bunter AG Cole, he said on Kuch's podcast In October 2024, seating was confirmed to be sold for approximately $30,000 per table.
in los angeles, Kelly Stafford She needed to pay for a suite to accommodate her and the Rams' quarterback Matthew StaffordHis four daughters.
“There's this section of the suite where the food is, and you can sit down and have a cocktail or something to eat, and my kids sit there coloring,” Kelly said. Her podcast “The Morning After.” In October 2024. “I'll say: Hey, there's a reason I bring you to these games. Honestly, that's a lost ticket. You can do it at home, watch it on TV and color.
Kelly added, “As much as I really want them to be there because I know their dad wants them there, I'm also wondering, 'Am I wasting money bringing you to these games?'
All types of fines
Many athletes also needed to set aside a portion of their salaries to pay off league debts.
“You can get fined for a lot of different things in the NFL,” the Saints star said Joan Johnsonwife, Chan Johnsonhe said in an October 2024 TikTok video. “Fines come either from the NFL itself or from your team specifically, like if you're late to practice, late to a meeting… or do something bad in the game.”
According to the outlet, Juwan was only fined for “failing a weight test” in the amount of $2,000 throughout his five-year NFL career.
The previous year, Rochelle exposed him Tik Tok In his first year with the Los Angeles Chargers, he was fined $30,000 for a tackle in the middle of the game.
“Everyone in the NFL knows if you have a FedEx package in your locker, you get fined,” Rochelle joked. “You're paying someone. I opened it up, and sure enough, it's $30,000. Keep in mind that at that point I was making $500 a week during training camp, so that was a lot more than I was making in training camp.”
Hierarchy between wives
Player contracts even Affect the dynamics With pairs of players.
“For the wives, sure, (there's a hierarchy). It varied from team to team, but if you think about any group of 53 girls in a room, they're not going to get along,” Koch said on “The Viall Files” podcast in August 2024. Every single one of them. You'll gravitate toward different girls, whatever. There were teams that (Isaac) played for, where the girls wouldn't give you the time of day unless your husband had a certain contract size or was a veteran player.
For his part, Rochelle said that the same hierarchy exists in the locker room as well, but “it's not bad.”
“I think men are cold,” he said. “But there's such a big difference in how much people earn that it's hard not to have that (be a thing).” Your teammate can earn 30 times what you earn. If you have a guy who's making $4 million from the game and then I – remember (I made) $7,000 every two weeks – he doesn't care about me. There is no way. If he's really worried about winning, he's not worried about Isaac being on the practice squad (in) his rookie year.
